Page 61 of My Hellion, My Heart
“Yes, thank you, my lord,” Irina murmured.
“No stories, just the truth,” Lady Langlevit said as he bent to kiss her head with a fond smile. Irina once more marveled at the obvious affection between them. “As naughty as Henry was, he was always the joy of my life.”
Henry’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “Turning me into a martyr already, Mother?” He glanced at Irina. “Don’t believe a word she says. I was a handful.”
“Did your auction go well, dear?” Lady Langlevit asked.
“I bought one horse, a gelding,” he said, propping a booted foot to a second stone bench a few feet away from where they sat. His gaze moved back to Irina. “When it is delivered, perhaps you’d like to have a look at it.”
Irina frowned. Why would he ask her to look at a horse? Unless it was intended for a female rider…for his fiancée, in fact. Suppressing the brisk twinge of an unsettling emotion, she nodded. “Of course.”
“And perhaps you will honor me with another race?” he added in a teasing voice, and her eyes shot to his. “Since you were confident in your winning of the last, I deserve a chance to soothe my sore pride.”
Once more, Irina inclined her head in gracious agreement. “As you wish.”
Henry did not seem as broodingly preoccupied as he usually was and his lightness of spirit was surprising, but perhaps he was taking her request of friendship seriously. It chafed and mollified at the same time.
“You should show the princess the greenhouse one day, Henry,” Lady Langlevit was saying. “She would love it.”
“Perhaps,” he said in a noncommittal tone. “How are you feeling, Mother? Better?”
“I am lovely, thank you.” She smiled fondly at the two of them. “Being in the company of two of my favorite people is wonderful. But as much as I would love to tarry, I’m mortified to admit that the good country air has made me quite famished. Cook should have a lovely tea ready.”
“Very well, then, shall we?” Henry stood, extending his arm to Irina as the footman turned Lady Langlevit’s chair around. Irina accepted, ignoring the little jolt that raced up her gloved hand through the wool of his jacket. It was exceedingly odd how his touch, even through so many barriers of clothing, had such a visceral effect on her.
Henry slowed his step, Irina noticed, so that they walked a few paces behind his mother, out of hearing but still within sight. “Would you like to see the maze one day?” he asked.
“Not particularly,” she replied softly. “While I love the idea of a whimsical greenhouse at its center, I fear it will be too constricting. I much prefer open spaces. The closed-in hedges would drive me mad.”
Henry faltered in step, staring at her. “I completely agree.”
“I suspect that is why I like your course so much,” she ventured, hoping the friendly interlude between them would continue.
“It impressed me that you completed it,” he said. “Without injury.”
She laughed. “It wasn’t easy in the least,” Irina admitted. “But I found it exhilarating.”
“I find it calming,” he said as they entered the rose garden. “When my body is driven to the point of exhaustion, my mind seems to quiet.”
Irina felt a surge of compassion. “Was it because of the war?”
“In part, and also what happened in the years afterward.” He stumbled over the words, as if they were unfamiliar, or as though he’d never said them aloud before. Irina’s fingers tightened compulsively on his arm, and he stared down at them, an inexpressible look on his face. “It helps to keep the horrors at bay.”
“I am sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said with another of those indecipherable looks.
Nearing the stables, they walked on in silence as the green landscaped lawns of the manor came into view. A smile chased away the somberness on his face as he changed the subject. “How is your skill with a pistol?”
She glanced up at him. “Is there anything in particular you’d like shot?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I am only curious as to your prowess.”
“You’ll have to see to find out,” she said, grateful for the shift in conversation.
“Better than your billiards skill?” he asked, and Irina couldn’t help the wash of heat that swamped her cheeks. She had come dangerously close the evening before to throwing her body on said billiards table and offering herself to him for the taking.
She jutted her chin, unable to resist the twinkling challenge in his eyes. Irina had no idea why it was so difficult to refuse his every challenge. They were far too similar in their competitive natures. “What was it you said, my lord? Never divulge my strategy?”
